Bulk Item Specifics Editor for eBay Structured Data

Instructions

Collect your data

Collect data from two sources:

eBay's lookup table of category-based structured item specifics.
Your own reference data from the Item Specifics Scanner, File Exchange, or a spreadsheet.

1. Structured Item Specifics: eBay's online Item Specifics Lookup tool will provide a download file that you can open in a text editor and paste into the top window of this tool. eBay's lookup tool lists all Item Specifics for one category and includes information about whether an Item Specific can be used in a variation or only in the master record. It indicates which terms are mandatory, which terms have immutable values, which accept custom values, which are multi-selects or single-selects, and it provides a list of common values for each Item Specific name. This tool will convert that data into a header row of drop-lists with available selections. If you wish, this tool can convert eBay's data to List format for your own use, instead of building a grid.

2. Reference Data: If you don't add your own reference data, the tool will load sample data so that eBay's list will be built into usable drop-lists that will allow you to see what each contains. However, for meaningful editing, the second window of raw data should include a header row and as many rows of data as you would like to edit. The top header row of user data will be used to create reference columns in the work grid. Your raw data should include something meaningful, like the item id or item title, that can be associated with your own products or listings. Reference data from existing listings can be obtained from the Item Specifics Scanner tool and can be pasted directly into this tool. Otherwise, columns from your own inventory spreadsheet can be pasted here.

Navigating the grid

The spreadsheet grid navigation differs from a desktop tool due to browser overrides. If something doesn't perform as expected, look for differences here:

Moving around Cells, highlighting muliple cells.

A clicked data cell becomes the "hot cell" and its row becomes the "hot row". All others will dim.
Selections made from drop-lists will appear in the hot row under the selected drop-list.
As long as there is a hot row, moving across the top header selections will populate cells in the hot row below.
Unmark the "hot cell" and "hot row" by clicking the topmost info row on the header. Dimming will cease and header selections will no longer be applied.
Navigating to other cells or rows will change the hot cell and hot row.
Use the Ctrl+Arrow keys to navigate around the data cells, which will change the hot cell and hot row.
To mark an entire column at once, click the column label just above the editable column cells.
The "hot blocks" of marked column cells will display a different color.
Use Shift+up/down arrow keys (or shift+mouseclick) to mark multiple cells in one column to create a "hot block". A mouse drag will not work here.
To mark multiple "hot blocks" in one column, use up/down arrows, preceded with shift to mark, and without shift to skip.
Or mark and skip cells individually with the shift+mouseclick.
To unmark a cell in a hot block use ctrl+shift with the up/down arrow or with a mouseclick.
Selecting from a drop-list in a column will populate all the "hot blocks" in that same column, but will skip the single "hot cell" if it is not within a "hot block".
To unmark hot blocks in the column group, click another column or the topmost info row.

Locking Toolbars

The top toolbar will automatically lock when the page is scrolled up or down and will release when not needed.
Any one reference column, containing user-supplied data, can be locked for scrolling sideways, ensuring that the reference column is always in view.
The locked reference column can be resized using numbers on its side tab, and can be locked to the left or right margin.
The zero column size can be used to quickly see what is under the locked column. It does not close the column.
To close the locked column, click the column name on its side tab or toggle its "LOCK" button.

Header Row and Field Values

The headings for user-supplied reference fields do not support bulk editing. However, the data cells in those columns may be individually edited.
User-supplied headings that are identified as Item Specifics (C:) may be bulk edited, but there will be no predefined drop-lists.
The headings for eBay-supplied item specifics include both a drop-list and an input field for bulk editing.
Selections made using the drop-list, or edits within the input field, will apply to all selected cells within that column.
Multi-select drop-lists perform slightly differently here. After making multiple selections from a list, click its "-multiselect-" option, or the input field above, to apply the selections and close the drop-list. Multi-selections are joined with a pipe-delimiter (a vertical bar).
Labels on required data columns are marked with * and are highlighted in an urgent color.
If a drop-list is not labeled "-select-" or "-multiselect-", then you must use one of the values in the list or skip that column if not required. You may not add your own value.

Create Reports

Create a report in spreadsheet format that can be pasted into your own spreadsheet tool for completion. While the tool provides rules on the droplists, it is possible to ignore the rules and enter invalid data in the cells. The tool does not yet check the validity of the data entered into cells, and invalid data may be rejected by eBay.